Things you can learn from Audrey Hepburn

Today is Audrey Hepburn’s 85th birthday. She was one of the most graceful, elegant, beautiful and sophisticated women in history. Audrey Hepburn was an actress, humanitarian and fashion icon and was active during Hollywood’s Golden Age. American Film Institute ranked her as the third greatest female screen legend in the history of American Cine
ma and she’s also placed in the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame.

Audrey Hepburn still remains one of a few people who have won Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Tony and BAFTA Awards.

Hepburn is, in so many ways, a sort of ideal people strive to be. In her own way, she represents every positive quality a person should own.

Things you can learn from Audrey Hepburn:

1. Accept your weakness

Audrey studied ballet and had a talent in the art. However, when she asked Marie Rambert (who had great influence on British ballet) about her future, she was told that while she could definitely have a successful career in dance, her fairly tall height and issues from wartime poor nutrition would keep her from ever becoming a prima ballerina. Audrey accepted it and moved her efforts to acting.

2. Don’t waste your time and effort convincing a man of your worth

In her role as Sabrina in the 1954 film by the same name, Audrey learns that a man who can’t see your value on his own is not worth pursuing.

3. Be stylish and elegant

Audrey is the most perfect example how elegance never gets old. Less is always more and being classy is always better than being trashy. Her name was and always will be a synonym for class and elegance.

4. Turn life’s hardships into something meaningful

Growing up during World War II struggles in Arnhem, Netherlands during the Dutch famine, Audrey witnessed many horrible things and suffered herself from malnutrition, acute anemia, respiratory problems, and edema. These hardships inspired her to become dedicated to humanitarian efforts later in life. Devoted to UNICEF, Audrey focused on aiding impoverished children in the poorest parts of the world.

5. Focus on the positive

Audrey is quoted saying:

“If my world were to cave in tomorrow, I would look back on all the pleasures, excitements, and worthwhilenesses I have been lucky enough to have had. Not the sadness, not my miscarriages, or my father leaving home, but the joy of everything else. It will have been enough.”

Everyone can learn from that. Learn to accept the negative in your life because it’s the only way something positive can happen.